I.N.I.

a sermon to be preached at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, Yonkers, NY on the 4th Sunday in Advent (a.k.a. 18 December), a.D. 1994 and based on a verse from the Holy Gospel for the day, St. Luke 1:45

Grace, mercy, and peace be yours in Christ Jesus our Lord!

Dear Friends in Christ:

It seems to me that just about every year there’s one toy that–for some reason–catches the fancy of hundreds of thousands of kids in the weeks before Christmas. One year it is a Cabbage Patch doll. Another year it’s a Barney something. This year I hear it’s the Power Rangers.

You adults who buy toys for kids or grandkids probably know what I am talking about. The little ones in your life let you know that they simply will die of embarrassment if they’re the “only” ones returning to school in January without having received a whatever-it-is-this-year. And because of the sudden interest in the toy of the year, there’s often a shortage at the stores. And increasingly desperate parents. And, inevitably, some sad kids on Christmas morning.

When the deep happiness of our children depends on whether or not they get a particular doll or toy on Christmas morning, I believe there’s something wrong. There’s just as much wrong when the happiness of adults depends on whether or not they can find the elusive toy at the mall. Or when their happiness depends on other fleeting things.

“Toys” for adults are usually more expensive than those of children, but in the long run probably no more lasting. Adults often pin their happiness on owning a particular automobile. What some people wouldn’t give for a classic model Thunderbird or Corvette! What they wouldn’t do to be able to own a Jaguar or Mercedes Benz! Others tie their happiness up with owning electronic sound equipment, or a new computer, or designer clothes, even a home in a particular neighborhood. They just won’t be satisfied unless they possess whatever it is.

These folks don’t see where the source of true happiness is. They don’t realize that it isn’t in owning more “stuff.” They don’t appreciate that there is something more, and deeper, and truer, and richer to be had.

In the Bible, the Gospel writers tell of a rich young man who came to Jesus seeking the way to eternal life. After explaining to the Lord that he had done everything that the Law demanded of him (at least he thought he had) Jesus told him that the only thing he lacked was that he should sell all he had and give the money to the poor. What a tragedy in this man’s life! Sell all he had? Why, his possessions were so much a part of his identity that if he really sold them all, he wouldn’t know who he was.

An example in the other direction comes to us from the Old Testament. The prophet Elijah was taken in by a woman, fed and housed for quite a long time. The interesting thing in this context is that she was not a well-to-do woman. As a matter of fact, she was at the end of her rope economically. She was a single parent. She and her son had only enough food left for one small meal. They had apparently passed the point of Jack’s family from the Jack and the Beanstalk story. The widow and her son in the Bible didn’t have a cow to sell. What they did have in their hearts was a deep love for God and the things of God. This love motivated this poor family to welcome God’s prophet into their home and to share their last meal with him. What they didn’t know at the time, of course, was that God would provide them a miracle through Elijah, and bring the three of them food to meet their needs until the famine there ended.

The rich man in the New Testament story ties his happiness to his possessions and came away unhappy. The poor woman in the Old Testament tied her happiness to serving God and came away happy. There’s a lesson here.

How does this relate to our text from St. Luke? Think for moment about Mary and Elizabeth. Both of these women were in a somewhat awkward positions. Elizabeth was a senior citizen who was suddenly pregnant for the first time. While her friends and family certainly rejoiced with her, there almost certainly was some whispering and finger pointing, too. It was a remarkable pregnancy and everyone in town surely remarked on it. If nothing else, they probably wondered who would finish raising the child if Zechariah and Elizabeth died while he was still a boy.

And young Mary, also pregnant, surely had to face the whispering and finger pointing that used to confront every unwed mother. She and Joseph knew directly from the angel’s messages that there was nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed over; yet human nature would seem to call for a defense of their dignity and pride.

When these two met at Elizabeth’s front door in the hill country of Judah a wonderful thing happened. Elizabeth proclaimed her faith in God and her joy at being in the presence of the mother of her Lord. More than that, the baby John–still in her womb–moved at the moment Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting. John and Elizabeth both knew that they were among the first people on earth to be in the presence of the Lord Jesus.

From that point on, any embarrassment that Elizabeth may have felt was done away with. Her poverty in a small town in the hills, away from the big city of Jerusalem, was of no consequence. Any uncertainty she might have had about being able to provide proper care for an infant at her age vanished. The only thing that was important was that she was in the presence of the Lord and His mother.

On Mary’s part, it was a real blessing to be with an older, wiser relative and friend who really understood the miraculous things that had happened to her. Elizabeth was the person to whom no explanations need be made. The only embarrassment might be at the gracious, kind words Elizabeth spoke to her.

Elizabeth proclaims the truest source of happiness. She doesn’t point to anything Mary owns, or to any baby gifts she might be hoping to get. Elizabeth doesn’t focus on Mary’s health, or beauty, or intelligence.

Elizabeth says that the source of Mary’s happiness is her faith in the Lord’s promises.

This is the one, true source of deep and lasting happiness for all of us: our faith that God will keep the promises He has made to us. He will.

God promises to sustain our lives with the gift of daily bread. He does this by providing His children with places to live and food to eat. He gives us clothes to wear, and all the necessities of life.

God’s care extends throughout this life. He will comfort us when we suffer loss. He will build us up when our lives have tumbled down. He will help us see that an abundance of things–even if they are the latest toys–will not give us lasting comfort and satisfaction. God will give us that satisfaction.

And God’s care extends beyond this life into eternity. This is the ultimate goal of our faith, of Mary’s faith so beautifully highlighted by Elizabeth. The ultimate goal is that by the grace of God our gins are forgiven and we come to rest in the arms of our Savior in Heaven. This is true happiness. This is the peace that passes all human understanding.

When God calls us to faith in Him through the working of the Holy Spirit, we rise beyond the distractions of the holiday season. When God calls us to faith in Him through the working of the Holy Spirit, we rise beyond the mundane concerns of this present life. When God calls us to faith in Him by the Holy Spirit, He calls us to true happiness.

It is a happiness beyond any happiness that can be delivered by a brightly wrapped present under the Christmas tree. It is the happiness that we can keep with us wherever we go. We can nurture it by continual feeding on His Word. We can strengthen this happiness by our frequent use of the Lord’s Supper and our Baptism.

This happiness does not end up on the curb with the bare Christmas tree before the end of the Christmas season. It cannot be stolen from our hearts.

When the hustle and bustle of school, work, shopping, and family holiday preparations start to drive us to distraction–perhaps especially if we can’t find that gift we’re looking for–the gift of God’s happiness is always there for us to hold, free and precious. God grant that those around you can paraphrase Elizabeth and say, “Happy are you who have had faith that the Lord’s promise to you would be fulfilled.”

AMEN

May the peace of God which passes all human understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen

S.D.G.